Once-bustling railroad lines have been transformed into park trails throughout Northeast Ohio. And officials in Summit County are planning two more rails-to-trails projects.
The six-mile Rubber City Heritage Trail will run along a route that once served the city’s tire companies. Starting near the old Goodyear headquarters in east Akron, it will wind through the University of Akron and end at the Towpath Trail in Kenmore.
Dan Rice is president of the Ohio and Erie Canalway Coalition.
“We're not actually proposing any trailheads on this trail. So, this is going to connect neighborhood residents with their local grocery store, schools, parks and libraries.”
Another proposed trail along an old rail line is the 10-mile Veterans Trail, running between Hudson and Akron.
There’s no timetable for work to start, but officials with Summit Metro Parks are working with Metro RTA -- which owns the tracks – to get federal approval for the project.
Metro Parks spokeswoman Lindsay Smith says it’s one of several ideas they’re considering. “This would be one that we are very interested in. It's an exciting opportunity to make some additional trail connections, but there are still kind of some bigger picture things we're looking at in the county.”
Rice says next spring, they'll begin scheduling public clean-up days along the Heritage Trail route. For details, call 330-374-5657 or visit ohioeriecanal.org.
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